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The de Havilland Comet was the world's first jet airliner, designed to overtake the American lead in air transports following World War II. Design studies began in 1944 while the war was still underway, leading to first flight in July 1949. Deliveries to British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) began in April 1952, with first revenue flights the following month. The Comet I was an immediate success. Its performance was far ahead of contemporary aircraft such as the Boeing 377, Douglas DC-6, and Lockheed Constellation.
However, trouble soon emerged. Two Comets were involved in takeoff accidents in which the wing was stalled during the takeoff run. Another was lost in a violent tropical storm following departure from Calcutta, India. Most significantly, in May 1953 and January 1954, two Comets mysteriously disintegrated in mid-air over the Mediterranean Sea. The fleet was grounded during an exhaustive investigation, which identified metal fatigue and failure of the cabin structure as the cause. The flaw was corrected and new Comet variants eventually entered production again. The long range Comet 4 was a significant improvement over previous versions, designed to meet BOAC requirements for North Atlantic operation. It entered revenue service in 1959, but de Havilland's jet had by then lost its lead to the Boeing 707 and the Douglas DC-8.
The Museum's Comet is the first Comet 4C, and took its first flight on October 31, 1959. It became the first jet airliner for Mexicana Airlines, registered as XA-NAR, serving routes between Mexico City and Los Angeles until 1970 and accumulating 27,065 flight hours. After 1970, it was briefly used as a charter plane before being sold to Westernair of Albuquerque, New Mexico. The plane was refurbished in Mexico City but remained unused by Westernair, who eventually sold it in 1978 to charter operator Redmond Air of Redmond, Washington. It diverted to Everett, Washington in 1979 with a mechanical problem and never departed, grounded following FAA inspections. The Comet was sporadically used for firefighter training at Paine Field but mostly sat derelict until it was acquired by The Museum of Flight in 1994. The Comet has been undergoing a complete restoration at our Restoration Center at Paine Field since 1995.
Learn more about our Comet restoration project at www.dhcomet.com or contact us for more information at: curator@museumofflight.org
The de Havilland Comet was the world's first jet airliner, designed to overtake the American lead in air transports following World War II. Design studies began in 1944 while the war was still underway, leading to first flight in July 1949. Deliveries to British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) began in April 1952, with first revenue flights the following month. The Comet I was an immediate success. Its performance was far ahead of contemporary aircraft such as the Boeing 377, Douglas DC-6, and Lockheed Constellation.
However, trouble soon emerged. Two Comets were involved in takeoff accidents in which the wing was stalled during the takeoff run. Another was lost in a violent tropical storm following departure from Calcutta, India. Most significantly, in May 1953 and January 1954, two Comets mysteriously disintegrated in mid-air over the Mediterranean Sea. The fleet was grounded during an exhaustive investigation, which identified metal fatigue and failure of the cabin structure as the cause. The flaw was corrected and new Comet variants eventually entered production again. The long range Comet 4 was a significant improvement over previous versions, designed to meet BOAC requirements for North Atlantic operation. It entered revenue service in 1959, but de Havilland's jet had by then lost its lead to the Boeing 707 and the Douglas DC-8.
The Museum's Comet is the first Comet 4C, and took its first flight on October 31, 1959. It became the first jet airliner for Mexicana Airlines, registered as XA-NAR, serving routes between Mexico City and Los Angeles until 1970 and accumulating 27,065 flight hours. After 1970, it was briefly used as a charter plane before being sold to Westernair of Albuquerque, New Mexico. The plane was refurbished in Mexico City but remained unused by Westernair, who eventually sold it in 1978 to charter operator Redmond Air of Redmond, Washington. It diverted to Everett, Washington in 1979 with a mechanical problem and never departed, grounded following FAA inspections. The Comet was sporadically used for firefighter training at Paine Field but mostly sat derelict until it was acquired by The Museum of Flight in 1994. The Comet has been undergoing a complete restoration at our Restoration Center at Paine Field since 1995.
Learn more about our Comet restoration project at www.dhcomet.com or contact us for more information at: curator@museumofflight.org
